1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and a method of switching images and is specifically suitable for being used in a vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus that generates a vehicle-periphery image viewed from a virtual point of view above a vehicle and additional images different from the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, there is provided a technology of generating and displaying vehicle-periphery images viewed from a virtual point of view above the vehicle by installing a plurality of cameras on the vehicle at front, rear, left and right thereof, and applying point-of-view conversion on images of the periphery of the vehicle shot by the plurality of cameras. A driver is able to know the positional relation between his/her own-vehicle and obstacles therearound by confirming the vehicle-periphery image displayed in a display device on the user's own-vehicle and drive the own-vehicle while preventing collisions or the like between the own-vehicle and the obstacles.
In general, a shooting range in front of the vehicle is shot by a front camera arranged at the front of the vehicle. A shooting range on the left hand side of the vehicle is shot by a left side camera arranged at the left side of the vehicle. A shooting range on the right hand side of the vehicle is shot by a right side camera arranged at the right side of the vehicle. A shooting range behind the vehicle is shot by a rear camera arranged at the back of the vehicle. Then on the basis of the front, left side, right side, and rear images shot by the respective cameras, a vehicle-periphery image is generated.
There exists a system in which a display screen is divided so that an additional image different from the vehicle-periphery image is displayed as well as the vehicle-periphery image as an assistance for driving (For example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-109697). In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-109697, a technique in which the display screen is divided and an image which can view the state behind the vehicle is displayed as an additional image in one of the areas when the shift position is, for example, a backward gear is described.
However, in the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-109697, there is a problem in that the surface area of the display screen for one image is small since the display screen is divided into two screens for the vehicle-periphery image and the additional image and hence is not eye-friendly or easy to view. In particular, the additional image for viewing the state behind the vehicle is required to display the area behind the vehicle which is hard to view via a mirror or directly when traveling backward in detail. However, since the additional image is displayed in a divided small size, there exists a problem that the display is not eye-friendly or easily viewed or comprehended.